Carbon Dioxide Laser - Applications

Applications

Because of the high power levels available (combined with reasonable cost for the laser), CO₂ lasers are frequently used in industrial applications for cutting and welding, while lower power level lasers are used for engraving. They are also very useful in surgical procedures because water (which makes up most biological tissue) absorbs this frequency of light very well. Some examples of medical uses are laser surgery, skin resurfacing ("laser facelifts") (which essentially consist of burning the skin to promote collagen formation), and dermabrasion. Also, it could be used to treat certain skin conditions such as hirsuties papillaris genitalis by removing embarrassing or annoying bumps, podules, etc. Researchers in Israel are experimenting with using CO₂ lasers to weld human tissue, as an alternative to traditional sutures.

The common plastic poly (methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) absorbs IR light in the 2.8–25 µm wavelength band, so CO₂ lasers have been used in recent years for fabricating microfluidic devices from it, with channel widths of a few hundred micrometers.

Because the atmosphere is quite transparent to infrared light, CO₂ lasers are also used for military rangefinding using LIDAR techniques.